I'm going to need some new pants

I just saw this on Eric D. Snider's blog:

Wouldn't you know it, I've come down with Bieber Fever just as I was getting over David "Archuletarrhea"

I hear that the Fever hits fast and will knock you out for days at a time. Good luck with that! At least he won't be running to the toilet every 20 minutes. It's sixes, really

I demand a re-count!

Yesterday was the ward Halloween Party. It was a pretty good one. Awesome decorations, sinful cornbread (with honey butter AND raspberry butter!), music and dancing for the kids (and my husband. Yes! Marcelo came! Shocking!) and a chili cook off between ward members. People really participated in this one! There were tons of pots of chili to choose from and you could tell that people really liked showing off their different styles of chili. I bet there were about 25 different kinds of chili, but only 19 of them participated in the "contest".

Andy let me tell you why I participated in the contest: I hate beans. I know most people find them an integral part to chili, but I hate them. And I hate having to meticulously sort through my bowl of chili to pull out all the beans. So I signed up to bring a pot of chili so that I for sure knew that there would be something palatable for myself. And after about 3 minutes of searching online, I found this awesome recipe for a Pumpkin Turkey Chili that I wanted to try. I love pumpkin! I love ground turkey! AND NO BEANS!!! This one was it. I made it really fast (I didn't leave myself enough time to do everything after my run, and taking a shower and getting the baby ready. I'm such a bad procrastinator!) and we ran off to the church for the party.

Like I said, it was a good party. Even if it did start really late. But it let everyone get there on "Mormon Standard Time" and find a place for their chili. So after I had eaten my weight in cornbread (Seriously, I had 6 of them. And while they were quite small-1 1/2 inches squared- that didn't justify the whole cup of honey butter I put on as well) I watched as my child ran around and found her new best friend: The girl dressed up as the Little Mermaid. Seriously, my kid would've followed that little girl into highway traffic, that's how devoted she was to her. Or should I say to the Little Mermaid.

And then it was time to award the prizes for the chili winners. And I don't know how to say this, BUT I WON!!!!! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLL!!!!! Seriously, how did that happen? I demand a recount! There is no way I won! My chili was NOT spicy (but maybe that helped?) nor did it have beans (but again, maybe that helped?) but it was the winner. The only thing i can think that put it over the top was that I added sour cream and cheese to the top of my "judging cup." But I don't think that was cheating. It's what the recipe called for! But seriously, anything with sour cream and cheese on top is going to taste freaking awesome.

We won a $20 gift card to Pastorero, a great taquitoria close to our house that has pictures of Guanajuato inside. It makes me reminisce. Anyway, I think that many MANY people in the ward feel robbed.. Because hardly anyone was like "Oh, congratulations!" I'm sure they were expecting someone else to win. Like the lady in our ward that owns Sweet Tooth Bakery, or the professional caterers in our ward. Yeah, maybe one of them. Not someone who found a recipe off the internet and who had never made chili before in her life. Oh well, I WON!!!!!!

So I know you are all DYING for it, so here is the recipe for the chili:

Pumpkin Turkey Chil
From allrecipes.com
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
* 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1 pound ground turkey
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 2 cups pumpkin puree
* 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 dash salt
* 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
* 1/2 cup sour cream

Cooking Directions
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion, green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and garlic until tender. Stir in the turkey, and cook until evenly brown. Drain, and mix in tomatoes and pumpkin. Season with chili powder, pepper, and salt. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Serve topped with Cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Serves 6
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 303
Total Fat: 18.1g
Cholesterol: 76mg

***My own changes***I actually added more salt than it asked for. I tasted it and it was a little too bland and so I added some more. I also added some of my special blend of spices I call "Alino en Polvo" It has cumin, garlic salt, pepper, salt and onion powder. And a little oregano. I added a bit of that too. Not too much, just like a tablespoon. If you want me to make you a batch of "Alino en Polvo" I will be happy to do it. I add it to EVERYTHING. It's my own creation and it reminds Marcelo of home.

So that's my exciting news. I ousted the whole ward in the chili challenge and made enemies of the whole R.S.BC.

Here is the link for allrecipes.com. So you can see a picture of the food:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pumpkin-Turkey-Chili/Detail.aspx

Go make it! And then tell me how it went for you. What contests did YOU win?

Kansas City Half Marathon

So on the 13th of October, I packed up the baby, a suitcase and a backpack full of movies and we headed off to Kansas City. I was very excited and quite scared to be doing my first half marathon, but I was excited to be able to do it with family.

Traveling was uneventful. Oh! Except that on NO of our 4 flights were we assigned to sit together. What? She's 2! Sometimes we were on completely different rows. Most of the time we both had window seats on the same row. It was quite annoying. And no matter how early we got to the gate, they couldn't seem to figure it out. People were nice about sliding over, though. Especially when I would say "Hey,I don't mind if she sits over there, You can watch her for me!" That got them moving in a hurry.

Oh, and because my child is 95% potty trained (on some days. On other days she's only about 25%. She chooses her compliance level based on if there is something better to do, anger at a punishment she has to endure, blood sugar level and her desire to piss me off. I'm not kidding on that last one.) I didn't have her wearing a diaper on the plane. It was never ever a problem, until I tried to take her to the bathroom in the airport before we left, and I didn't take her pants off all the way, and you know the rest. Baby with legs in awkward position + placed near edge of bowl = arc of pee shooting out of her and covering her pants. Totally my fault. But we had to get on the plane, so with a little wipe down and some heavy blotting we were on our way (yes, I forgot to bring a change of clothes. Again, my fault. If I had been better prepared this would've been a non-issue)

She never peed her pants on the plane. Why should she when we went to the bathroom a minimum of 4 times on every plane ride! Because plane bathrooms are so fun! They smell like a latrine and are so closely cramped, but yes! let's go again!

Once we got to Kansas city, it took me less than 24 hours to offend my sister in law. BOO-YAH!! I'm pretty good at that. Not like I *TRY* to offend her, but I know I can be judgmental sometimes. And I am pretty easy to read, and I have a big mouth. So basically, I would be surprised if I DIDN'T offend her. But luckily my sister in law is one of my favorite people on this early and so easy to talk to, and so quick to forgive and make you see why you are such an ass. And I always learn something new and important from her every time we talk. Lesson for the day: Don't raise your children for the approval of others. If you raise your children to the eyes of everyone around you, you will have morally confused children who can see your hypocrisy. If you feel like you are doing something with your kids just so outsiders don't look down on you, you might need to re-think it. It was a good time.

My sister Julie arrived 2 days later. She and her husband drove from Texas, and they got there just in time to go pick up our packets from the race coordinators. They had a whole bunch of fun stuff to see and buy. Disney was there pimping their marathon through Disney World. And that sounded like fun! My sister in law said she thought about doing that some year in the future. And I think that would be so much fun to do as a family again. I would do the half marathon, of course, but to be there and then enjoy Disney World after the race would be great, I'm thinking. I'm just dreaming, of course, but I think it would be a great goal.

I resisted the urge to buy anything, and so I went home and started getting really nervous for the race. And I mean really really nervous. My sister in law started laughing at me that night because I was just so stressed about what to wear. Should I wear a jacket? But I know it will be warm, I don't want to run with it around my waist with the zipper slapping me for 10 miles. What about gloves? Will I need them at the beginning? I didn't bring a good shirt to wear. What will I wear? Seriously, it was nuts. I was going nuts. She thought it was funny. Mostly because marathons (and half marathons) are nothing for her now. And she hardly even trained for this one! She just thought it was funny to see me all anxious and worrying.

So the next morning, I woke up and put my 10 year old niece in my bed and locked her and my baby in there. She was to be my primary babysitter, and she was great. Actually, all of the girls were great with the Bibbs. And Kyrie got to wipe her butt after an especially big poo. My kid will bend over and stick her bum in the air for you to wipe her. You don't even have to ask. The kids thought that was great! Anyway, they all babysat my girl while I ran.

And now, a sad story. Because my brother had Volleyball games on that day, and we needed Julie's husband to be at home with the girls in case something happened and he needed to drive someone to the hospital, this meant that there was no one to cheer us on and take pictures of us at the end of the race. (or during) But I got a few pictures before the race. While we were sitting in the car preparing.


Where did Julie go? Ahhh, she was bending down. And Tina is typing on the phone probably saying "We are leaving our phones now. Talk to you in 3 hours". But then they were ready for the next one:
Ohh, not a good one of me! A LOT of double chin action going on. We all looked at this picture and decided that we needed another one.

SCARY EYES!! ALICIA IS DEMENTED! SHE WILL RUN HER RACE. . .AND THEN TAKE YOUR SOUL! And then I decided that I should stop looking at each pictures after I take it, and just keep snapping pictures. And so I did:

This is the best BEST of Tina and Julie. But I'm halfway gone. . .And I still have some crazy eyes. . .or some crazy eye, I should say.

Tina is looking half squinty. And I have a weird tip on the end of my nose. But I think this is the best of all of us. The best I could get. But why stop there?
Me with more double chin, and Julie looking off at something else in the distance. Maybe looking at where we SHOULD be? Like at the race?














And now Tina is just laughing because it is getting ridiculous. And somehow the flash got turned on to make me look all Casper-like. But we were having a good time. Everyone has a good time before the race STARTS, right?

We tried to stand in line for the potty. But we realized that people were cutting in front of us, and we all were only semi-dedicated to peeing. So we walked away like 2 min before the starting gun went off. We all laughed later that we were all willing to go before the race, but we never bothered to stop and pee DURING the race. I guess the nerves made the need not so great once we got started.

And start we did! Tina ditched us before we even crossed the starting line, but we thought she would. She turned around and said "see ya in a couple of hours!" and she was off. And Julie and I started slow and slowly. But we had a good time! We got to chat with one another all the way until about the mile 10 1/2. Then she felt like she was going too slow and she was cramping up, so she went ahead. The funny thing is that she didn't go THAT much faster and I could see her up until about mile 12 or 13. I think she only finished a few minutes ahead of me. They had bands playing music along the trail, and people had signs and noise makers to cheer you along. It really was a fun time

The Kansas City Half Marathon is HARD. It's up and down about 45 hills. No joke! If you aren't running up, then you are running down. There are very few level places. The last mile is ROUGH. Especially for me because I didn't know where we were going. If I had known where we were and when we would turn I think I could've done better that last mile. Especially because you tend to get down on yourself when the marathon runner passes you. (happened for me on mile 12.5). I'm happy that I finished in just over 2 1/2 hours.

Anyway, I'm going to wrap this post up. Tina tried to run back to get the camera at the car so she could photograph us. And she made it! But then the camera was on "play" not "take" pictures so it didn't happen. But we took a picture after the race of Julie and I together! Which Julie accidentally deleted. BOOO. I told you the picture situation was a sad story.

We went right home after the race, because I had a baby that I needed to get back to, and we all needed some good food. I think next time I would like my family to be there at the finish line for me and we can stay around and see what all there is going on at the party. But I'm not sad I went home. My body needed rest! I got a well deserved Thai meal later that night, and then the rest of my time there was a vacation!

I had a great time, and I loved being with my family and just making a goal and finishing it. I definitely have another one in me, but I don't know how soon I will do it.

Thanks for reading, people!

P.S. They had people taking pictures along the trail, and you can buy them. But I am cheep. I have the sore muscles and the memories of my first half marathon. I don't think I need much else. But here are some of the horrible grainy shots: I'm in the yellow shirt and gray pants behind tank-top girl.





















If you want to see more pictures of me running, I think for a limited time you can go to this link:

http://www.backprint.com/view_user_event.asp?S=20&PID=bp%18yG&EVENTID=72309&PWD=&BIB=7573

There you can see bigger MUCH better pictures than what I've blown up here.

Dear Egg Nog. . .

I happily welcome your Holiday return. I passed you today in the store and I bought not one, but TWO of you. One of you (the pumpkin flavored one) has already been opened and I have have been enjoying your straight from the carton. We are such good friends, (nay I say lovers?) that there is no need to kid ourselves with the pretense of a glass.

I will weep when you leave me again when the holiday season ends. But we both know that you will be back. There is no denying what we have together.

I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early.

Love,
Your Alicia

A Fashion Question

So I have this skirt that I FINALLY fit into again. But it's kind of a light cream/pale pale pale yellow. It's linen, and looks more like a neutral color, but with a hint of yellow. It's an H&M skirt which I LOVE just because I bought it in NY right after my mission, but also because it was what I was wearing when I saw my husband for the first time after my mission and the first time I kissed him. Oh, and he asked me to marry him when I was wearing it. So, it's basically a magic skirt. For both of us.

My question, is it too late in the year to wear it? It is definitely more of a spring/summer skirt. But it probably won't fit me next spring/summer. So can I still wear it now? I worked really hard to fit into it, but it only fit me too late in the summer season.

I leave the debate up you you, my friends. I have no fashion sense at all. As can be seen by the fact that I am currently wearing jeans I purchased at D.I. and a shade undershirt that I found in the back of my closet and is probably 5 or 6 years old. So, basically I'm dirty and nasty.

If you say I have to wait, I will. I mean, I've waited 4+ years now, what's one more, right?

What is the oldest piece of clothing you still wear on a regular basis? OR What is the one piece of clothing you keep or have kept in hopes that you will someday fit into?

I've learned my lesson this time. . . . I SWEAR

I do it every time. I say, "This time I'm sure it will be different. This time it won't be so bad. It was an accident, this isn't the norm. I just need to change how I approach the situation, and then everything will be better." But I've finally accepted the truth. And I'm not going back. That's right. I'm breaking up with you, Cafe Rio.

Every time I go there no matter what I eat, I always end up regretting it. I regret it as I'm eating it, and then for the next 12-48 hours. There is no food there that I can eat and the feel good about myself later. It's not the fattiness of the food, per se. It's just the essence, the flavor, the lingering nastiness. And I'm done with it.

So, if you ever suggest that we go to Cafe Rio for lunch or dinner, the answer will be "sure! I'll meet you there and I'll bring my own food to eat while you eat that sludge they call a meal"

I nearly vomited a little in my mouth just writing this post. And you should know that it's been 5 days since I had my last horrible experience there. But that's how long it stays with me. But I'm seriously staying away this time! I'm super SUPER SERIAL!

Can you smell the SPICE?

After the rain last Saturday, I went outside only to discover the air smelled like fall. Not just of chill and damp air, but SPICY. It smelled like cloves, cinnamon, allspice, ginger. I thought maybe someone in my apartment complex was just burning a pumpkin pie candle (or making zucchini bread or something like that) but the smell was found all around town as I ran errands that day. It made me really hungry for a pumpkin shake! Or a pumpkin doughnut!

Like I said before, I'm excited for fall this year. And even for winter, I guess. Something different. It's almost felt like it's been summer for too long. (I know! Who would've thought I could EVER think that?)

Today when I went running at 6am it was raining. It was so delicious and cool. It kept me at the perfect temperature and the run went really well despite the fact that I was soaking. I would give other people running in the rain the head-nod of understanding. "Either you love running in the rain as much as I do, or you are also training for some race" I would think. And then I would think to myself, "Hey girl, you should loose the windbreaker. You aren't doing yourself any favors. Just let the rain soak you. Enjoy it! And then go home and take a warm bath"

I know that's what I plan on doing right now.

Right after I experience some zills, that is.

Just a few things

I love my husband. On most nights he lets the baby climb in bed and snuggle next to him and lets me sleep. Sometimes he'll poke me and tell me to take her back and put her into bed, and I am happy to do it! It's nearly impossible to pick her up while she's sleeping on your bicep. I know, I've tried it. And he's so good to let his arm fall asleep for her comfort.

And every Friday night he makes sure that he takes care of her 100% so I can get up early and run. He's so good about that. I'm lucky I have a husband that doesn't mind our baby sleeping in bed with us for a few hours every night. And I'm just lucky that she's sleeping when she comes into bed with us! She used to try to play when she would get up at 1 am, which would result in a fight and then putting her back into bed over and over again (up to 3 hours of it) but now she just crawls in bed and falls back asleep within seconds. I do consider myself lucky. Especially because some nights I will wake up and say to Marcelo "Oh, she slept the whole night in her bed!" and he'll say, "uh, no." :) Now THAT'S a good husband.

On a negative note, I am SOOOO angry when people don't return their books to the library on time! I'm sure I've already ranted about this, but it's SO annoying to see the due date online (the 30th) but nothing. THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN WAITING ON THIS BOOK FOR MONTHS, PEOPLE!! TAKE IT BACK ON TIME!!! If you want to know, yes, I take back all my books on time. Furthermore, when it is an especially "coveted" book, I try to make sure it is returned within a week. And if it is a book on CD, I return it the SAME DAY. I think they should give certain people special "24 hour club" status. And they have to return certain books within 24 hours. And if they abide by the rules of the club, they get to keep their membership. I think I will suggest that in the library "suggestions box" the next time I go.

I'm running a half marathon in 2 weeks. I'm quite nervous about it, but I've been training and I should be ready for it. My sister in law, sister, brother in law, and maybe a few cousins will be there to support me and some will run it with me. Well, I don't think they will run "with me" but they will be running in it as well. It's in Kansas City, and it's expensive. Not the race so much, but the airplane tickets, the shoes, the socks, and the band aids for my bloody nipples all add up! (I'm kidding about the bloody nipples part. I think that only happens to men). I'm very lucky that my brother and his family are putting up with me for such a long time (To find the best price, so I had to stay a full week) but I'm going to make it up to them. I'm going to teach my nieces the patented "Judd Fall" which you know will make them the most popular kids in school. And I'll show my nephews the awesome dance moves I just learned on "IASIP"

So that's what's been going on in my life. I hoped I could put a post about how I reached my goal weight, but I cannot. My body HAAAAATES me. Seriously, I'm practically starving it to death and it refuses to drop .2 pounds. I'm not kidding you, I'm .2 pounds away from reaching my goal, and it just won't do it. I guess that tells me that I need to make a lower goal. So now I can say I don't have to lose just .2 pounds, but 25.2 pounds. So when you look at it like that, it's not so miserable that that last little bit won't come off.

















So let's hope that my long run today will have some effects on the scale in the upcoming days. Here's Hoping!

Welcome Fall

For some reason this year, I'm looking forward to fall. Maybe it's the change that is coming. Maybe it's because I have lots of plans for next year and I'm excited to get them going. Maybe it's because I'm looking forward to Christmas and spending it with our little family and our beautiful tree. (Seriously, our tree is freaking gorgeous. You should come over just to ooooh and awwww and then go home and look at your inferior tree and feel sorry for yourself. COME ANYTIME!) (har har)

I really don't know what it is, but I'm excited for fall. Leave, apples and pears, pumpkins, Halloween, snow, snow skiing (maybe I'll get Marcelo to try snowboarding this year) and then the new year! I'm just excited for the changes.

Maybe it's because I turn 30 this year. 30 seemed so far off when I was 12. I mean, 16 was conceivable. 20? A little bit harder, but still dream-able. I don't think I ever thought about what it would mean to be in my 30's!! And now that it is here, I can't say that I'm sad. I think it's great, and I'm happy with the way things are going.

For the most part. I still have lots of things I want to do. And I'm excited for those things to happen someday. Nothing ever stays the same.

Changes. Don't you love it? WELCOME FALL!!

Birthday WISHES

I have started making a list of things that Marcelo can get me for my birthday. That's always a difficult thing for me to do because I would rather be surprised, but I'm also really practical. I want to give and get something useful. Even if it's something silly and non-sentimental, I would rather have something that I want and need rather than something that is just "nice".

I'm sure I've talked about this before.

But I've started a list for him of things that he can get me. This is the list:

* Headlamp light for night time reading in bed. (We don't have room for side tables/lamps, and I don't like leaving the main light on while I read. It burns my eyes and makes them more tired)
* The New TiVo Premium
* The New Balance running shoes that I tried on a few days ago at the 26.2 store in Provo (My current shoes won't make it until mid Oct for the half marathon)
* A panini maker (I actually don't know if I *really* want this one. Because I fear that I would do nothing but make paninis all day. And that would NOT be good for my weight goals)
* Breakfast in bed. I do this for him ALL the time. I would like him to do it for me JUST ONCE. I think I should get this. But maybe I'll hold out for this one till Mothers day next year.
* A new pair of Pumas. I really need some "casual" shoes. And they have a pair of 12's! (I know, I have massive feet. It makes shoe shopping a nightmare and not at all fun.)
* One of those key chains with the rubber/cloth holder for my chapstick. I have about 3 tubes of chapstick at home, 2 in my purse, 1 in my church bag and 1 in my old diaper bag. But what if I don't bring one of those bags with me? What if I just have my keys with me? Like yesterday at the lake. Sun + Water + Wind + Cheetos (and other assorted salty chips) =VERY CHAPPED LIPS. And I was without chapstick. And I have been wanting one of those for a while now. Seriously, I *could* just pick one up at the check out counter the next time I'm at the grocery store, but then I couldn't complain about it on my blog anymore, right? Anyway, it's a silly thing that I have on my list. My husband will make me happy if he gets it for me for my birthday. I'm easy like that.

However, this is all moot. Because I already know what I'm getting for my birthday. I'm getting a new iPod!! See, my crappyNano 4G iPod that is 5+ years old has stopped being recognized by iTunes. I took it into the local Apple place, and they couldn't help me. So now I'm going crazy. Because I literally use my iPod every day. I run with it every day and when I'm home I listen to books on CD as I'm cleaning around the house or out with the dog and the baby at the park. So without an iPod I'm seriously stunted.

And what luck! They just announced the new Nanos! Which is what I was going to get anyway! And it's double the storage size of what I have now! But still the same price! AND IT HAS A CLIP FOR ATTACHING TO YOUR CLOTHES DURING EXERCISE. AND IT HAS A PEDOMETER!!! (I use a separate pedometer about 3 or 4 times a week to track my miles) My mind just kept blowing up as I was reading about it. And it comes out next week. I think they were thinking of me when they planned that release date.

So I may not get a surprise on my Birthday, but I don't seem to care right now.

Maybe I'll print off this list and re-title it "Alicia's CHRISTMAS wishes".

I'm sure he won't notice the change.

Out of it

We went to the Lake today. It was cold and windy. And one of the jet skis didn't work for a few hours, so I had to go all the way back to town to find some replacement parts for it. It eventually did work, and we had some good times. Some good, white cap filled times.

I think everyone always comes back from time at the beach/lake/large body of water entirely spent of energy and ganas to do anything else besides sleep. I'm currently fighting some ZZZZZ's myself right now. I just want to make sure that my baby goes down before I do. She's going to sleep like a rock tonight. I'm really REALLY looking forward to it.

But my point is, I don't think there is anything better than taking a shower right after coming back from the beach/lake/large body of water + sun. ESPECIALLY if you are a little toasty from that sun. You need to get washed and clean ASAP to make the eventual sunburn better. Trust me on this one. Wash yourself nearly instantly and it won't be as bad as if you wait for it to "set in". But seriously, is there anything better than that shower? AHHHHH, I'm remembering it now. It's a whole different kind of zills.

Next item. I think I am really out of it. I think that I am the only person in north America who didn't see Avatar the first time it was in theaters. Seriously, where was I? I don't know. I know Marcelo saw it. But when did he see it? Why wasn't I there? I have no answer for this. But I have decided that I am going to see it. Because I have no plans to buy a 3D TV, so I think that I should see it in the theaters before it leaves.

So who wants to go with me? Who wants to spend another $10-$12 dollars on a mind blowing visual masterpiece with a preachy C- story? Hands?

Ok, I didn't think so. I guess I'll just go by myself.

I'll be the loser with the Whoppers and Milk Duds front and center all alone on a Saturday night.

I really should get some Swedish Fish too. . . .hmmmm

Book Review: Plastic Fantastic

Plastic Fantastic: How the Biggest Fraud in Physics Shook the Scientific World by Eugenie Samuel Reich

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I think this is the nerdiest book I have ever read. Ever. Mostly because it deals with a LOT of physics and the explanation of experiments and materials used. Organic crystals, sputtering machines, pentacene crystals and particles changing from p-type to n-type (just to name a few). And this book is about 45-50% physics explanations. But it has to be, because it's about the fraud that can be carried out in the scientific world. Especially when people don't understand what one scientist is doing and take him at face value when he makes certain claims. When he claims to be doing impossible things, the author wants to make sure you know why it would be impossible to do what he was claiming to have done.

The main point is this: Science is self-regulating. However, people need to be more on top of things and if things seem to good to be true, they just might be. Don't be afraid to call foul! Or Fraud for that matter. And the author makes a good point: Science is self-regulating. If someone makes a claim and it is false, that claim will eventually be proved so due to the inability of others to duplicate it. HOWEVER, the author also points out that until that happens, millions of dollars and years of time and energy can be wasted to prove these theories that are lies. And how do you give someone back a year of their life? (The author talks about some scientists that were turned off this kind of physics study solely based on their frustration, and chagrin at not being able to duplicate the false claims of the fraudster)

I think the author wants authority and others in position of power to not push so hard for papers and results to be printed. He thinks that the fraudster felt as though this was expected of him. And so he would print a paper as "fact" and then he hoped that others would prove his theories with their work. If he wasn't so pushed to print and publish, he might not have done what he did. Or maybe he would've no matter what. The author seems to think that he is not so much an EVIL scientist as a lazy and unimaginative one. No thoughts of his own, no way to make his own experiments work. So who knows, maybe he would been a fraudulent scientist no matter what.

Due to the fact that most people that read this book won't be physics geniuses, I think the author did a great job making the ideas and experiments easy for the layman to understand. That's why it gets 4 stars. Also because it talks about Los Alamos Labs, and UIUC where a friend is studying for her physics PhD right now as I type. I hope she's not trying to prove any of this guy's false claims!

But seriously, this is a geeky book. ENJOY, MY GEEK FRIENDS!

Dinner Al Fresco

I gave the baby some dinner the other night and this is where she went to go eat it.


She decided an al fresco dinner would be nice this evening. Don't you love how the rabbit is always included in whatever she does?

They were checking out the view of the "Y" this fine summer evening.

The Big Six

"I would totally marry you again, Ali"

What more can you ask for on your 6th wedding anniversary?

Oh, I know! How about a child that isn't sick? I would've really appreciated it if my kid didn't get a hand and mouth virus that has caused blistering hives to break out on her palms, soles, and her ENTIRE "diaper zone." They almost look like festering boils. Yech. And i guess it's pretty contagious the first few days (Which today is) so we felt like we couldn't ask anyone to babysit our HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS and PLAGUE RIDDEN child.

So instead we took her with us to the Red Lobster. We inflicted her borderline infected corpuscles on them. . . . And their lobster tank. . . .Which YES my child stuck her hand into (and almost her face too, if you were wondering)

Did you know that they will take a live lobster out of the tank and bring it around for the kids to "pet" if they would like. Those things give me the creeps out of the water. And I just realized why. They look like spiders with tails! Flailing legs, wandering antennae, a tail that curls up into itself when the manager "tickles" it. Geee geeee geee geeeeeeeesh!! NO THANK YOU!! You can take that thing right back to the kitchen. Boil it up and bring it to me with a side of butter. Otherwise I don't want to see it again. (If you were wondering, I had the Lobster Pizza. It was FREAKING AWESOME. And nothing squirmed at me as I tried to eat it)

And for an anniversary dinner, it wasn't too bad. Even with a tag-along baby. We didn't get into any fights. We didn't let the baby's constant climbing down and getting up bother us. Mostly because we kept feeding her a steady stream of snow crab and lobster pizza. I think she ate about 2 whole legs of crab herself. So I guess we know she likes seafood! We got to talk about being in San Diego (where we were married and where we went just a few months before she was born) and about how Marcelo wants to live somewhere close to the coast so he can eat seafood everyday. And even though it was our anniversary, I don't mind spending it with the sweet, sweet Bibbers.

Because, as Mar says, she is the fruit of our time together.

Happy Anniversary, Amorcito. I would totally marry you again, too!

Curly Girl

At our family Reunion last week, my sister produced a book for myself and my niece to read and enjoy. It was called Curly Girl and it talks about the care and maintenance of curly hair, which all three of us have.

And while my hair is much MUCH less curlier than my sister's or my niece's, it's interesting to learn about the different things this woman suggests for those with curly hair who like to wear their hair curly.

First, she thinks that everyone with curly hair SHOULD wear their hair curly! So you should immediately throw out your flat iron, blow dryer (for straightening purposes, that is) and other like hair torture devices. She gives a few products to use, but she never comes out and gives NAMES. I wish she would just give a NAME! I mean "spray gel" what is that? Does leave in conditioner count as spray gel? What about a root booster? What about mousse? Can I put some in a spray bottle, fill it with water and call it "spray gel?" Also, she says your conditioner is very important (as you will see why in a minute) and so you need to make sure your conditioner is good quality and has all these things in it. Like emollients and humectants and the like. But she never says WHERE we can find these conditioners. Do I have to go to a salon? Does Pantene have these in them? Can you just give me a list of "acceptable" conditioners, PLEASE? (I understand, legally, why she can't do this. But it's still quite annoying for us in the real world who is trying to wrestle a 2 year old octopus-child in a shopping cart. Those people don't have 30 min to read the back of every bottle of shampoo to check if it contains the certain chemical formula she says to look for. Come on! Help a sister out!)

Moving on. She advocates throwing away ALL shampoo. She says shampoo is too rough on hair anyway, and is a disaster for curly hair which is much dryer than straight hair. So using your fingers, some conditioner and a little time in the shower is how your hair will get clean. And she says you can keep a little shampoo around for "spot cleaning" like you would spot clean a nice sweater. But never the whole head.

I don't know how I feel about all of her techniques. Like the certain way to cut the hair. I don't have hundreds of dollars to go and find the perfect hair stylist that will "talk" to each individual curl and find out where it wants to lay. Because to have everything PERFECT, I have to find the the Bob Ross of hair cutters. "Where does this tree want to be? How about right here. A happy little tree right here just coming out of the water." Nope, sorry. No time or money for that one.

However I would have to say that after about a week of doing what she says, I see a definite difference in my hair. I have less of a "halo" around my head because my hair tends to not be so dry. And I haven't had to use any dandruff shampoo for this whole time either! The moisturizing conditioner and my agitation while I scrub my head seems to be breaking up the loose skin cells and yet keeping things nice and moist. It really is making my curls cuter and more defined. I'm a believer. Until someone tells me my head smells from lack of shampoo, that is.

But seriously, what is spray gel? JUST ONE LITTLE NAME BRAND, PLEASE!?!?

Clown Pants

I'm losing weight. Anyone who has seen me int he last 6 months is thinking "DUH!" But that's not what I want to talk bout today. Today I want to talk about clothes. And pants in particular. Because even though I've lost 60 pounds, I'm not ready to buy pants yet.

TIME OUT!

DO NOT SAY "THAT IS AWESOME, ALICIA!" WHATEVER YOU DO.

Here's why: before you start to congratulate me, you should know I don't need to hear it. No really. If I do, I might start thinking that 60 pounds is "good enough" when really it's not. It's not where I should be, and I want to lose more. So don't tell me that it's "terrific" and "wonderful" . Instead you should say, "only 60? I mean, it's been like 7 months already! the people on Biggest Loser pound that out in like 4 weeks!" That's the kind of things I need to hear. That's going to keep me going.

TIME IN!

Anyway, I have serious buyers remorse and shopping aversions. I have VERY large feet, so shoe shopping is out. And for many years I couldn't find anything that fit me unless it was in the "clothes for large woman who want to be skinny but don't lose weight so instead we just make our clothes in the styles that were made for skinny women but on large women they look ridiculous" store. And usually those stores are crazy expensive. Because that's all a chubby girl needs. . . LESS MONEY TO FEEL WORSE ABOUT HERSELF.

Or you can go to my favorite runner up store for "people who are cheap, nasty, or are between sizes and don't want to pay full price for a pair of pants that they hope to not fit them in 3 months". You know what I'm talking about: THE D.I.

But before I tell you about my D.I. shopping trip, you should know that I made a deal to "reward" my weight loss with different things I needed. Like a new pair of church shoes (after i lost 30 pounds) and a new pair of pants after I lost 50. HOWEVER, when I got to the point of losing 50 pounds, I realized that my clothes weren't hanging off me like I wanted. I didn't want to buy any new clothes until my pants had become "clown pants" and were only being held up by a pair of ridiculous suspenders. (Or a belt that cinches things tight and makes it all bunch up around my middle. Whichever you prefer)

So, I rely on the D.I. And I did it when my mom is in town. And there is nothing that makes my mom happier than going to the D.I. She could (and often does) spend hours there. Talking on the phone, wandering the isles, and usually coming home with some sort of slotted spoon, alarm clock radio and/or juice pitcher. Those are the kinds of things she gets. And why not? I don't blame her for going there to find cheap housewares. What I DO blame her for is taking 2 and a half hours to find those things.

Anyway, as I went to the D.I. and looked for pants, I was reminded that they have the most ridiculous labeling system known to man. Because they only have 4 categories for all clothes ALLLLLL CLOTHES. Baby clothes, child clothes, men, women, plus size. It is ALL put into one of the following categories: S, M, L or XL. So you can imagine my frustration.

And jeans, there are so many of them! So many styles, and so many old pairs. But there are really REALLY nice jeans there too. So you may be sorting through a stack of "mom pants" and the happen upon a pair of Lucky's or Silver's. And they have OF COURSE been mis-labeled and are in the "L" section but really they are like a size 6. (Because D.I. employees don't understand that some pants are labeled with NUMBERS. It's a novel concept, I know)

But that's not my real problem. My real problem is that it's been so long since I've tried on jeans I'm talking YEARS. Maybe 3+ years? Just too long. And you may ask what I wore instead of Jeans? Well, I will tell you that I didn't go out much. And when I did it was usually in some sort of PJ pants or exercise/stretch pants (I'm so sorry Judd! I'm so nasty! At least they weren't gathered with elastic at the bottom or otherwise tapered. . . usually) And here is the point of all this ranting: Because it's been so long that I've even tried on a pair of pants (let alone gone into a store that SELLS pants), I don't know what is cool anymore. Dark denim? Medium colored denim? The "faded" look? Acid wash?Do people wear flared jeans now? Boot cut? Straight leg? Is everyone wearing those "skinny" jeans? Who over the age of 11 (that's a PRE-PUBESCENT 11, mind you) looks good in those? Is that what I have to wear now? Does it have to say "Ed Hardy" down the side or have holes in the knees?

I just don't know. So when I found several pairs that would work for me, I tried to decide which were the "coolest" and buy those. To judge what the current styles in pants were, I decided to look around at the D.I. to see what others were wearing.

HINT: NEVER LOOK TO SHOPPERS IN D.I. FOR ANY KIND OF FASHION RULES! There were plaid shorts and lots of camel toe to be seen. \

Not helpful. I had to wing it on my own. I think i did a good enough job.

In any event, I hope to say that they have become clown pants and are falling off of me in 3 months. Here's hoping, right?

And because my GOOD GOOD friend Lynn writes me and tells me she misses my blog and then sends me hilarious videos to inspire me to write posts, you can thank her for this video. I think that ALL my Body Rolls should have a song about them.

Jealousy

I get jealous when I read the blogs of others and their children who are the same age as mine (or even younger!) are speaking in full sentences.

And my child still screams for an hour when I can't understand that she wants milk based on her pointing and grunting.

Makes me want to kill someone.

No wonder jealousy is a deadly sin.

Slappy

If I hear the following statement one more time, I'm going to lose it.

Someone in R.S. raises their hand and says:

"I always thought I would go on a mission. I planned for it and told everyone that I would. But then I got married. And I had to tell myself that I would just be serving a different kind of mission. I mean, it wasn't what I wanted. I always wanted to go on a mission! But I guess other things were in the cards for me. . . ."

The next person I hear say that, gets me, in their face screaming LIAR!!! and then they get slapped. Maybe verbally slapped, or maybe physically. I can't decided which yet. But there will be slappage.

No, no, no no no no NONONONONONO.

If you really REALLY wanted to go on a mission then YOU WOULD'VE GONE ON A MISSION. My mission (and every other mission in the world for that matter) was full of girls who had other things distracting them. They had boyfriends, debts, schooling, family, money issues and physical issues. And you know what? They didn't let that pull them away from a mission, because THEY REALLY WANTED TO GO.

I want you to just accept the fact that you weren't that into it. That you thought it would be something "cool" to do if you had nothing better to do, if no potential marriage prospect was on the horizon. As long as things all fit into a nice little package for your convenience. But once things didn't go as you expected, when you met someone when you were TWENTY, you just were KICKING yourself because "BOOOO HOOOO!! Now I can't go on a mission. He's the ONE!! I'm not supposed to go on a mission if I have the possibility of getting married! That's what everyone says! And everyone knows heaven cries a little when there is another 23 year old female RM in the world"

Slap, slap, slappity, slappage.

Other comments that will get you a slap from me:

-"I really wanted to get my degree, but we thought it was better that HE finish and not me. I'm just at home with the kids. What do I need a diploma for?"

-"I never thought that we would get pregnant so fast! I mean, we didn't really use birth control, but so-and-so didn't either and it took them MONTHS to get pregnant. So we didn't really take precautions. But I'm SO SURPRISED we got pregnant!"

-"I deserve ________." No, you don't deserve it, whatever it is. You deserve things when you EARN them. Like working for them, paying for them. You know, EARNING THINGS. Just being alive and being annoying doesn't constitute earning.

There are lots of other things that will get you slapped in my mind. And if you aren't careful, maybe even slapped in real life.

Because seriously? PEOPLE WHO REALLY WANT TO GO ON MISSIONS DON'T LET ANYTHING STOP THEM. THEY JUST GOOOOOOOOOO!

I'm done now. I need to go take a nap and sleep off the rage.

P.S. My best guy friend in high school used to call me "Slappy". So the title of this makes me laugh as I read it.

P.P.S. I have a whole different rant about how RM girls know that not every male RM is created equal. And that we can see through a line of B.S. and know that just because you were a zone leader (OR AP!!) doesn't mean you didn't try to scam on all the members in your areas. You disgust me, and I have no respect for you. But go ahead and tell everyone that you were an AP. But I have a picture of you DANCING. And I sure don't think that's MO TAB playing while you do the Salsa and Merengue.

Oh, I guess I got that additional rant out of my system right then. I guess I don't have to come back and make a whole other post about it. Good for me!

Slappy, OUT!

It's not me. . . It's you.

I have a serious pride problem. I'm aware of it, and I'm working on it. Just so you know. If one of the things you think when you read my blog is "MAN! this girl is really smug and sure things a lot of herself" Just be aware that I agree with you. I'm trying to be better.

And in accordance with this goal, I have decided to un-subscribe to certain blogs. See, there are certain blogs that I read only to get offended, or to judge people, or to feel superior, or to mock them in my mind. Usually they are the blogs of friends of friends, or blogs that Reader has recommended to me because we live in the same area and subscribe to the same blogs. So I don't even KNOW the people that I'm judging. I just look at what they write and fume to myself that these people have no idea what they are talking about. And they are cocky in their ignorance. Makes me want to find them and punch them in the throat.

But the thing is, I never comment on these blogs. I never let them know that I am reading them and I just fume silently. BUT I ALWAYS GO BACK! Why do I do this? Is my need for self-declared superiority so large that I need to feed it daily by calling other people "twats" in my mind? Apparently so. But no more. I'm cutting myself off cold turkey.

If any of you are reading this post and thinking "Is she talking about my blog?" the answer is no. If we have met, exchanged emails, or if you have even ONCE made a post on my blog, I am not talking about you. Like I said, these are people that I have never met in life, who I've never exchanged an email with, who don't even know I exist. So it shouldn't be that hard to cut them out, right? That's what I'm telling myself.

But now where will I get my daily dose of snootiness? If all goes well, it will be gone shortly. It's good for me. Pride never helped anyone.

Why haven't I done this sooner?

The Cabin

Mom is selling the cabin. It's sad, but we knew the good times had to come to an end sometime. We have had that cabin for more than 1o years and we all have some great memories there. My husband has said that it's in the top 5 most favorite places in the world for him. He loves to be outside, relaxing under the trees. It is the embodiment of vacation and it will be missed. Here are some of my favorite things to do while there and the things I will miss most:

* Wakeboarding
* Drinking root beer (and letting my mom have "just a sip" of it herself)
* Falling asleep on a hammock after trying to read a book
* Playing SkipBo with my sisters
* Eating licorice
* Leaving the lid off the licorice tub so it gets hard and super chewy, and then listening to everyone whine about how SOMEONE left the lid off the licorice tub. So then I try to just take out a FEW pieces and leave them to get hard. But they always seem to disappear before I can go retrieve them. So then I just take the lid off the whole tub as retribution.
* Getting sunburned because I always forget to slather at least ONE part of my body and then taking a shower followed by a long nap to let the heat soak in
* Trying to convince my husband to get in the water
* Jogging down to the boat dock and then jumping in the water
* Smores and "skit night" by the campfire
* "Speerneck" stories
* Taco Bombs. And BFTT's. Actually, I don't think I will be missing those.
* One bathroom for 20-30 people
* My Aunt Lynda's crazy CRAZY antics.. And I mean crazy. Whether it's trying to convince people to eat the left over pizza crusts from 3 nights ago, or making clothes out of pillowcases, there is never a dearth of mocking material when she is around.
* Fresh blackberry pies
* Walking/riding down to the "swimming hole"
* A fridge so full of food it cannot close properly or even chill the food adequately.
* And finally, the battle that IS the yearly photo. I mean, we've only been doing this for 10+ years, but for some reason, something always goes wrong. Usually we know EXACTLY when the photo will be the first day of camping. "Hey, don't forget, family photo Thursday at 4:00 pm". But then there is always SOMETHING. Like a couple of kids are down at the swimming hole, or someone decides to leave early so we have to take the photo a day before, or someone forgot to ask a neighbor to take the picture so we scramble to find someone at the last moment. Or my personal favorite, last year, where mom decided to make dinner and then RIGHT BEFORE she announces it's picture time. So the food waits and gets cold for 45 minutes while we try to find a photographer and then proceed to give her 97 cameras to take a picture with each one. It's always something.

So here are some pictures of Trinity Center 2009. The last year we would all have those crazy wild times, even though we didn't know it at the time. (Thanks to my cousin Dakota. I stole them all from her)

The genesis of the FAMILY PHOTO. Notice how everyone is confused, there is someone trying to direct things, babies are crying, people are getting annoyed:













But then we always pull it together at the end:


Farewell cabin! Enjoy the next people who own you. But I'm sure they won't love you as much as we did.

Home

It's so nice coming home from a long trip. Even though we live in a little postage stamp of a home, it's ours. We have our routines here, and they are comfortable. It's nice being able to get back to normal.

Where were we you ask? Well the Bibbers my mother and I went to Missouri for about a week. We dropped off the coveted grandfather clock for my sister Sarah to pick up at a later date, and we got to see my brother's youngest daughter get baptized. We got to go to the lake and eat real Kansas City BBQ and it was just a great time all around. Here are some highlights from the trip:

* Taking off just hours after my baby's 2nd birthday party. (Party will be saved for another post) We wanted to get on the road sooner but there was a big issue with the trailer we were driving and the lights on it not working. Uhaul helped us out, though and we soon got on the road.

* Driving all through the night to get to Missouri Monday morning. There were a few times that the Baby screamed bloody murder because she wanted her mother (who was driving) and she wasn't being properly served. My baby gets HYSTERICAL and will do things to get my attention. She'll rip out her hair, stick her fingers down her throat to make herself gag/wretch/vomit, scratch herself, bang things and kick the DVD player. She knows that ALWAYS gets my attention. The good thing is that by the end of the week long trip, we had been in the car so much and traveling so much that she was used to it. The trip back to Utah had no screaming meltdowns at all!

* Going to the lake and getting up on a wakeboard! That hasn't happened in years. Maybe since I was married. I just gained too much weight, and our boat isn't the best for pulling people up on a wakeboard. But my brother's boat has a great tower on it and it's as easy as pulling yourself up on a ladder. I was so shocked I got up. I went around for a while but I was so tired from the previous day (when I went around on the super tube behind the boat) that I didn't have the strength to go very long. Next time for sure. But I got up! I'm just happy I got that far. Especially because as I strapped on the boots and slid into the water I IMMEDIATELY wanted to be out. That old nervousness of "you aren't going to get up, you will make a fool in front of everyone" was there. And I really didn't want that. I think I said "Oh, I really don't want to do this" but I stuck it out and did it! Hooray for me!

* Texting Lynn while at a BBQ place to ask her the proper protocol of saying "Yes Ma'am" to someone. I feel like I'm being rude when I don't reciprocate a "ma'am". I was told that if the person is older I should always say it, but THEN I got worried that I would offend someone by using ma'am when they were younger than me, and thereby telling them that I thought they were old. Lynn let me know that it doesn't really happen, and that if you are older than them and you still say it, they just look at it as respect. (Did I get that right Lynn?) I still feared doing it because I thought it would sound fake. But now I know the rules.

* Coming back from an outing to the park only to find a WATER MOCCASIN (also known as the COTTONMOUTH) snake chilling in the front yard. Actually, chilling about 3 feet from where my baby was just walking. OHHHHHHHHHHHHH MYYYYYYYYYYYYY CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!!!!!! We ran inside, locked the door and my sister in law proceeded to call everyone she could think of until she found a ward member to come over and kill it. Which is a big deal for her because Tina is a big animal advocate. Example? the day before I found a spider on the floor and told my 14 year old niece to take care of it (I don't do spiders, remember?) and they PICKED UP THAT SPIDER AND PUT IT OUTSIDE! ZZHHHHHHGGGGEEEE (audible shiver) But luckily they were smart enough or cautious enough not to take chances with one of the most aggressive and deadly North American snakes that was just chilling out right by the front door to their house. The snake got it's head taken off. And I rejoiced in knowing my child would not die that day.

Just so you know, while Tina was calling trying to find a snake wrangler, I took the broom from the kitchen and unscrewed the handle. I was not going to let that thing get away. So if it started to move, I was prepared to go out there and beat it to death. Seriously, it was FEET away from my child. I was mad, and it deserved to die.

*Going outside to pick Mulberries. They are pretty good, if you can look over the inch worms that you have to pick out (or eat) and the little stems that come off with the berry. You can just spit those out after you eat them. Don't try to take them off the berry, because it squashes the juice out. But going into the back woods of the Missouri wilderness might get you in trouble. Which brings me to. . .

*My mom got a little bit of poison ivy on her face just to the right of her mouth, close to her chin. (I call it the "zit spot" because every month I get one JUST ONE zit right there. At least it's only one, right? But isn't 30 too old to get a zit when I'm PMSing?) Anyway, as we were driving home and were pretty close to the Wyoming border, my mom says, "This poison ivy is really itching my face. But I'm doing good not to touch it. But I have another little itchy thing in my eye lashes. Can you look and see if I have poison ivy in my eye?" And being the inquisitive nice daughter that I was, I agreed. I should've refused. Because as I looked in her eye, I noticed that her lashes were particularly thick in one area. And as she blinked, they moved in response. And then I saw it. . .The tick in my mother's eye.

Now, I want you all to go get a mirror. Or look at a butter knife you have retrieved from the kitchen. But you need to know where this tick was. Take your eyelid, and flip it up as if you were going to do that hideously grotesque and macabre act of flipping your eyelids up on themselves. Don't do it all the way, just gently tilt up your lid until you can see the teeny tiny ridge of skin running JUST UNDER your eyelashes. The minutely small piece of skin between your lashes and your EYE BALL. And you will know where that tick had its nasty Lyme disease-carrying head buried.

My mom says she wishes she could've preserved forever the look on my face when I realized what it was. I was horrified, and couldn't even bring myself to look at it, especially when it moved its legs. Bleeeggch. I'm getting queasy now just thinking about it. We were going to wait till the next gas fill up so my brother could pull it out himself, but after about a 5 second wait I just couldn't think of that thing feasting SO CLOSE TO HER EYEBALL for another second and I said I would just get it.

If anyone knows anything about pulling out a tick, you know that you have to get the whole thing making sure the head doesn't detach. So I grasped that thing, and gave it a gentle pull thinking that was all I would need to do. Nope, it was really drilled in there. So I just pulled harder and success!! And I was pretty sure I got the head too. That thought was confirmed when I looked at the thing and saw 2 chunks of my mom's eye flesh still visible from its nasty little pincers. Mom bled a little, but was very VERY happy to have it out. She said even with the little blood in her eye it was much more comfortable than having it on her itching her. AND SUCKING HER BLOOD I should like to add.

For the rest of the ride home I kept checking my (and my baby's) hair and all over our bodies for the hidden ticks I knew were at that moment giving us Lyme disease. I didn't find any but that's probably because they saw the death of their comrade and ran for their lives.

* And finally, you will ALL think this is gross, but it made me just so happy. When I got into the upstairs shower that all the girls share, I noticed that there was hair on the wall. Isn't that awesome? ALLLLL my sisters put their hair on the wall while they are taking a shower. I don't know where we all learned it. Probably from each other. But it's so nice to know that the same trait is being passed down to my niece. And you should know that her mother (my sister in law) specifically TOLD her daughter to put her hair on the wall. Because after they pulled a hair ball out of the drain that was the size and shape of a large rat, they figured that was the best way to avoid it in the future. Makes sense to me! That's why I do it!

I love my family. It's good being home. I can't wait for the family reunion in July!

Scarred Witless

So I got a call from our second counselor in the Relief Society today. She asked if I could substitute teach in R.S. next week. I of course immediately agreed. Because relief society lessons in our ward are usually really bad (since the bishop's wife got released. She gave the best lessons) and the teachers have a hard time reigning in the horrible comments. Seriously, there was a comment about a serial rapist the other day. So beyond the scope of the lesson on the word of wisdom!!!

So I find myself rolling my eyes a lot and thinking I could do better.

Then she says, "so the lesson is #12. . . .The Atonement"

Gulp. Gasp. Choke. Vomit a little in mouth, quickly swallow it and say, "Ohh! Great!"

Someone is being served up a hefty HEFTY slice of humble pie. With ice cream. You know, "a la mode" style. And then a big portion of humble cobbler, also with ice cream. And humble brownies with mint frosting on top. I'm going to eat some serious humble calories next week.

Stupid, stupid girl.

P.S. I have birthday pictures and travel log to post. But as you might suspect, my mind is a little scattered as of 6 pm this afternoon. Stupid girl, indeed.

Make Way For The Birthday Boy!!

Marcelo turned 30 on Saturday. Last year we weren't together for his birthday and that was sad. But this year I remembered 5 days before the big day that not only was it his birthday, but he would be turning 30! Something had to be done, and quickly.

And I decided to go SUPER ambitious and try for a surprise party. I don't know what I was thinking. Marcelo can sniff out a surprise or a secret better than any CIA agent. And once he suspects, there is no going back. He ferrets out the secret and then it is a secret no longer. But he didn't suspect a thing!

I don't know if it's because I planned it at the lat moment. Or because I only invited a very few people. But it was so great. He was 100% surprised and had a great time. For food we had:

Chips and Salsa
BBQ beef
BBQ chicken legs
Carmel corn
Rice

And for dessert we had brownies and ice cream. Instead of a cake I made him a pan of cinnamon rolls because he prefers those. Here are just a FEW pictures. I was really busy barbecuing and making sure that everything was perfect that I didn't really get to take any pictures.

These are the guys that helped me distract Marcelo. Cris kept him working for most of the day so he stayed away, and Juan Carlos made fake plans with him in the afternoon so he would for sure come home on time.















Here are some of the kids having a great time.




























And here he is blowing out his birthday candles. With a little help from the Bibi. Notice how her cheeks are all puffed out ready for blowing? Perfect.

And then we ate and had a great time. We danced a little salsa, ate lots of food and thoroughly hated ourselves the next day. Well, maybe that's just me!

Happy Birthday Amorcito.

30 Before 30

I just found these two lists online. And seeing is how I am turning 30 this year, I thought they were insightful. Except for the alcohol parts. But anyway, here they are. (I found these lists at thefrisky.com in case you were wondering)

30 Skills Every Woman Should Have Before Turning 30:
1. Hard-boil an egg
2. Diplomatically tell Mom to butt out
3. Ace a job interview
4. Ask a man out
5. Send a thoughtful thank-you note
6. Listen to a friend in need
7. Ask for help
8. Effectively end an unhealthy relationship (romantic or platonic in nature)
9. Beautifully wrap a gift
10. Say “no” gracefully
11. Whip up a great dinner with the five items in her fridge
12. Forget pleasing him, by 30 a woman should be able to tell her man exactly how to please her
13. Sew a button
14. Mix a kick-ass cocktail
15. Take off her bra without removing her shirt
16. Apply lip gloss in the dark
17. Balance her checkbook
18. Create a budget
19. Find the best deal
20. Negotiate a salary and/or pay raise
21. Read a map
22. Hail a cab
23. Say something in French just for the hell of it
24. Apologize when she’s wrong
25. Dress for her body type
26. Change a flat (or know whom to call to come change it)
27. Spot a fake (handbag, diamond, potential friend …)
28. Feign interest
29. Know what to tip on a $25 dinner bill
30. Hold a baby (Hey, someone you know is bound to have one sooner or later.)


30 Things Every Woman Should Quit Doing By 30

1. Buying clothes from the junior section.
2. Forgetting her parents’ birthdays.
3. Making out with her BFFs at bars for attention.
4. Making out with her boyfriend at bars for attention.
5. Filling her bed with stuffed animals (really, even one is too many).
6. Carrying a torch for anyone she hasn’t seen in the last five years.
7. Rebelling against her parents for the sake of rebelling against her parents.
8. Declaring an entire gender “all jerks.”
9. Holding a grudge against anyone who wronged her in high school.
10. Skipping regular gyno exams.
11. Going to bed without washing and moisturizing her face.
12. Being “that person” who had a bit too much to drink at the office party.
13. Crushing on Justin Bieber.
14. Thinking she’s got it all figured out.
15. Calling her father “daddy.”
16. Engaging in sibling rivalry.
17. Trying to get by on her looks.
18. Living paycheck to paycheck.
19. Expecting a man/knight in shining armor to swoop in and save her.
20. Aimlessly jumping from job to job.
21. Using MySpace to pick up guys.
22. Expecting a man to do all the wooing.
23. Wishing she had someone else’s life.
24. Expecting everyone to drop everything because it’s her birthday ...
25. ... or because her “boyfriend” of two weeks dumped her.
26. Measuring her self-worth by a number on the scale.
27. Being cheap.
28. Quitting a job without having a new one lined up first (especially in this economy!).
29. Blaming her mother for all her issues.
30. Romanticizing her 20s.

So what do you think of the lists? What would you add? What would you take away? i.e. what do you think it's still ok to do after 30? Or what skill is stupid no matter what your age? For my part boiling an egg is almost useless to me because the smell of hard boiled eggs makes me want to gag.

And I know I have things I need to quit doing before I'm 30. Like watching too much Reality TV. And the going to bed without washing my face? I'm SOOOO that person.

So please give me your input. I'm dying to know! I have a little over 4 months to rid myself of it!

GO GO GO!!

Make checks payable to me

So when I get done working out, I hate how sweat drips down my head and down the back of my neck. It creeps me out. Neck issues, remember.

Side note: I have just come to realize I have another "body issue" part. That is the back of my upper arms. You know what I'm talking about. That sensitive skin on the back of your upper arms just close to your armpit. The part that wobbles when you wave? The "chicken wing" part? Ohh yeah, now you know. I DETEST anything touching me there. If a shirt hits me at just that spot I have to get rid of it. And the fastest way my child can drive me crazy is by coming up to me and trying to get me to stand up and follow her by touching that part of my body. There was a time when she would touch it about 20 times every day. I wasn't a very good mother because I had to walk myself away from her to get over the creepies when she would do that.

But back to my first neurosis: Things touching my neck. So the sweat drips down and it gives me the heebie jeebies. But I had a brilliant idea. Yesterday after my workout, I grabbed a long length of paper towel and then put it around my head "mammy" style. (Does the fact that I'm white and I described a head wrapping as "mammy style" make me a racist? I just wanted you all to have an accurate mental picture. But I swear I'm not a racist. You believe me, right?)

I put it under the back of my head and tied it up on top of my forehead at the hairline. It worked awesomely! It collected all the sweat, nothing dripped down my back and the heebie jeebies were gotten by none! Seriously, someone needs to start paying me for my ideas. Make checks payable to "Alicia, the genius".

Oh wait, now that I think about it I guess what I just described was a disposable headband. A headband made from cutting down trees. Instead of the poly-cotton things that athletes have been wearing for ages and made super popular in the 80's by a certain Senor MacEnroe.

























Hmmm. Maybe have to rethinking this genius idea. But you can still pay me if you would like. I would not turn down a few $ coming from anyone!

Sure your child is great, but can they. . .

I know all of you think you have the greatest child in the world. You think they are the smartest or the most clever. You think they are the cutest and that when they learn to sing songs they hear they are going to be the next Beethoven.

I mean, we all have bragging rights. My kid walked at 8 months. Your child probably could put together whole sentences with complex prepositional phrases at 13 months. (oh, on a side note my child now says "si" every once in a while. Actually, it's not really "si". She says "gee" or "dee". But it's something!!! The funny thing is that she can TOTALLY make the "sssss" sound. We ask her " what does a snake say" and she does a little lispy "sth sth sth" sound. Adorable. But she won't put it with the "eeee" sound. Strange. Back to topic) And some of you boast a child that taught themselves how to play the piano or read at age 2.

I say this is all well and fine. But I trump you ALL. Case closed, pack it in, this show is over.

My child can fart on command.

She does it to make me laugh. Whenever we hear her fart we say "gasiosa"! and she knows what it is. And so she makes herself fart just to hear us say gasiosa and laugh. She usually does it in the bath or just getting out of the bath. And one of these days she's going to strain herself too hard and poop in my arms. I just know it.

But until then I'm not going to stop her. Because seriously? A child that can fart on demand before her 2nd birthday? This kid has "going places" written all over her. Just you wait.